A Nominal Hiro
by TF141Soldier
Summary: Hiro after the events that transpired when he was Excalibur's meister. Oneshot.


He found himself, in those first days after letting Excalibur go, shocked.

Shocked by his own behavior, shocked by how worse Hiro had made things for himself… and, to be honest, shocked at how he'd passed up the perfect opportunity to become the best Meister in the entire school. For a solid eight months (the time that had passed since Hiro first enrolled at the DWMA), his mind had been consumed by three great quests; get perfect scores on every test presented to him, find a Weapon, and date someone. At the very least, he'd gotten the first part right – for he was an avid studier.

But who cares when you have nothing to show for it in the real world?

Hiro was well aware he was the most incompetent Meister on campus. It was hard to accept in the first few months – hard to accept that nobody liked him. But eventually, he accepted it, as he accepted any fact of nature. It was entirely possible that Hiro had no skills – due to not being able to get a partner, he didn't have any personal training or the like. For a while, he'd tried – he'd gotten into muscle training, studied extensively on battle techniques, and even tried to participate in the class activities despite being a lonely Meister. But he was… uncool. 

Then he learned about the legend of Excalibur – a fable, really, but Hiro was enticed by the possibility of becoming the greatest Meister in the school. The window had finally opened for him, and warm, expectant light had flooded his vision; finally, Hiro could prove that he'd made it on his own. Hiro's naturally timid and nervous personality was gone, replaced by a lusty hunger to use this wonderful new object, to feel its power. And boy did Hiro feel the power– there was no experience quite akin to holding a weapon in his hands for the very first time.

Especially one so powerful. But absolute power corrupts absolutely – with Excalibur came a more narcissistic and smug Hiro. Maybe not an entirely satisfied Hiro – inside, he still felt a streak of anxiety as he wielded Excalibur. But he was confident – very confident. After all, he had entirely destroyed Death the Kid, Black Star, and Kirikou Rung as if they were nothing; hell, all it required was one move. The explosive force of the Hiro the Atomic move was utterly orgasmic – for Hiro, it required an almost physical effort not to squeal like a girl in triumph.

It was clear that Hiro now thought he was the very best Meister – and in truth, he was. Hiro had gone from a mere One-Star Meister (and even that rank was questionable) to a Three-Star in less than three days, entirely throwing the school's expectations of students off limits. Hiro was not just the best – he was unstoppable, and he abused this power for his own advantage. Things came so damn easily for Hiro now that he had Excalibur in his hands.

And in truth, Excalibur was not as exasperating as Black Star implied – Excalibur was devilishly easy to get used to. A mere one thousand provisions… how awful was that? The provisions weren't anything Hiro couldn't get used to – the very precise and specific rules Excalibur laid out for Hiro all amounted to one big rule: keep your attention on me at all times. Hiro was a doormat – to that end, he found it extremely easy to work with Excalibur. With that legendary sword, there was no battle Hiro couldn't survive – he was out to change the scene all on his own, with a legendary sword by his side.

Looking back on it, the hubris Hiro once had now repulsed him. He knew that he could do incredible things if only he'd gotten the courage and confidence to rise above his docile personality and become someone… whole. _Provision 348: You must forget yourself and attend to Excalibur's needs at all times. _If you exclude the latter half, Hiro couldn't help but admit he should have paid close attention to that first part.

Because once Hiro decided to give up Excalibur, everyone disliked him. Nobody had really, truly liked him in the first – he was a personal slave at best. But now that he had decided to enact revenge against the people who had abused his servile attitude, he became completely segregated from the student body. Well, kind of – Black Star and Tsubaki did still talk to him… but only briefly.

The whole experience with Excalibur left Hiro wondering if what he'd done was right or wrong. In his time at the DWMA, Hiro had gone through more than a regular student should. He was commonly pushed around and made to follow other students' orders, mocked for not being able to find a willing Weapon partner, and was even considered shoddy by his teachers despite scoring very, very good grades on each of his tests. When Hiro found Excalibur's cave, showing off his skills in front of the whole school was so… simple. He felt it to his very core, the almost _sexual_ pleasure at being so strong and powerful.

But he'd acted with decidedly uncool egotism and petulance. Still, over those days, Hiro felt… different. Sure, he had returned to his old ways – always running errands for people, nobody liking him, _et cetera et al. _But he had changed, Hiro knew. Being tested for the first time was both easy and difficult for Hiro. All along he had believed that gaining Excalibur's power would grant his every wish, and he could merely sit back and watch everything fall into place.

When this all began, Hiro gave himself three goals – get perfect scores, get a partner, and fall in love. He worked hard to achieve them, but he couldn't understand the reality of the DWMA – finding a weapon partner and becoming "cool" was difficult, as was trying to score a date. He had an excellent grasp on the written material, but they were just book smarts – no social or combat smarts. When he had Excalibur, he felt truly alive, but his time with Excalibur ended almost as quickly as it began.

Still, despite the after effects, introducing a Weapon into Hiro's life was healthy. It helped him grow and learn to control his temper.

In his office at the DWMA, Doctor Stein was sitting at a lone terminal, his mind deep in posting recent test scores. Finally, he finished and leaned back heavily on his chair, savoring the nicotine on his cigarette. After a minute, he acknowledged Hiro's presence. "Something you need?"

Hiro was standing in the doorway, holding a soda in his hands. The boy brushed his hand through his blonde hair. "Yes… i-if you're not busy, that is."

"I was about to leave, though I suppose I could make time," Stein admitted, straddling his chair. He spun around to face Hiro, motioning for him to come in. He thought to ask him about why he was here but decided against it: the question was moot. He could read the question in Hiro's face.

"Thank you, Professor…" Hiro muttered. "I came to ask about… you know. I think we've talked about it before."

"Yes, we have, young meister," Stein said, taking in a deep breath, his eyes still locked on Hiro. "But it's been a long while since we last chatted."

"Five months, Professor."

"Mhm. I'm presuming things have changed since the… holy sword, incident?"

Hiro frowned, seeming embarrassed. "…I want a Weapon partner, Professor Stein. Hell, all I want is a genuine friend."

Stein knew that was what was bothering Hiro – his inability to secure anybody as a friend.

"But… that's not what I came here to talk to you about."

That… actually surprised Stein. He slowly reached up to turn his head-screw, turning it with audible crank and ignoring Hiro's slightly weirded-out expression. After finally adjusting it– complete with a satisfied, audible click – he narrowed his eyes. "Is that so?"

Hiro glanced at the terminal, his gaze lingering on it for a moment, and then cleared his throat as he proceeded to speak again. "Yes…"

"Then out with it."

"I don't think I belong at the DWMA anymore. I want you to point me to where I can get out of here…"

Hiro looked like this had been on his mind for quite a while – his eyes, looking down on the tiles, seemed cloudy and sad. _Like a Meister who'd forgotten himself…_

"Is there a reason why, Hiro Shimono?"

"…I've been here for eight months, Professor," Hiro began, stating the obvious. "In that time frame, I haven't done… anything right. I just can't make friends with anybody here, and because I'm not friends with anybody… no one wants to be my partner. And I'm too… too docile to try harder. I thought the DWMA was for me, but I keep screwing up…"

The sentence didn't need to be finished– Hiro had admitted all he needed to in a short speech. Stein knew Hiro's time here had been… difficult. Even though his test grades were very good, and he was always on-time with his homework, Hiro never participated in the activities for Weapon and Meister because he had no partner; a problem in Stein's eyes, and a definite source of discomfort for Hiro.

Stein doused his cigarette in an ashtray and raised his green eyes at Hiro. "I see. Hiro, I want you to know something."

Hiro raised his eyes back up at the Doctor.

"Finding a weapon with whom you can resonate with is a matter of time and patience," Stein confessed. "Nobody's nobody – there's always somebody who's interested."

"Not for me…"

"Then perhaps it's something you should work on," Stein proclaimed. "I've noticed you've gotten a build on you – you've been lifting weights and exercising, yes?"

Hiro gave a vaguely amused smile at this. "Yeah… I have."

"In hopes of looking better, I presume?"

"…Yeah."

"You're doing it the wrong way. You won't get a Weapon Partner that way."

"…What?" This got Hiro's attention – he gazed at Stein with a puzzled expression on his face.

"Muscle is one way of being a competent Meister, because you have to be limber and agile – but physical appeal is not the correct way to make friends… nor is showing off your abilities in front of everyone. Though it works for some, it doesn't always work. If you want to make friends… be a little more confident. Stand up for yourself. Show them you're more than just the Hiro on the surface, and be the Hiro you want to be."

Hiro gave a small chuckle at the double entendre. Deep down, Stein knew the boy was still carefully weighing his options. "Oh… okay, then…"

"But… if you'd like to sign out of the DWMA, Sid is the man to talk to."

Hiro nodded, and remained silent for a moment, then got up. The Meister lingered in Stein's doorway for a minute, saying nothing, both of them knowing what the silence was about. "Professor?"

"Yes?"

"Thank you very much. And have a good day." Hiro strolled out.

Funny – when Hiro was gone, Stein found himself wishing he'd hung around.

Hiro left Stein's office, his pace slow and thoughtful. He quickly checked his watch – 2:35, which meant things were just about over for the day. Hiro took the stairs down to Level 1 and was about to exit out the massive front doors before he bumped into someone.

"Oh, sorry," Hiro said on impulse, and then looked up as to who it was. _Oh, _thought Hiro. He was looking in the sharp eyes of Jacqueline O' Lantern Dupre, or Jackie for short – Kim's weapon, who took the form of a lantern, Hiro vaguely remembered. And with even more disgust, he remembered that he had blown up Jackie's skirt using Excalibur…

_Jeez. I was really somethin' else with Excalibur…_

"No problem," Jackie said as she continued to walk on by. To where, Hiro didn't really know.

…_You only live once, Hiro. _"Hey, Jackie, wait!"

The raven-haired girl stopped and turned to him, raising her eyebrow. Hiro searched for the correct words, and then shook his head ruefully. "I, uh… I wanted to apologize. F-for blowing up your skirt, and stuff. I mean, it was entirely uncalled for and wrong and kind of perverted and…"

Then suddenly Jackie was holding his hand. As in, actually grasping it. This stopped Hiro dead in his tracks, and she gazed at him, her eyes seeming to give off a cool, brown light.

"Uh, Jackie?" 

"It's cool, dude," Jackie confessed. "We're alright. I've been meaning to apologize to you anyways. Kim and I weren't very nice to you, and we really shouldn't have bullied you… sorry."

There was a bright look of relief in Hiro's eyes, his mind and posture relaxing from their tense states. "Oh… okay! Good! That's good."

Jacqueline then gave him a rare smile. "Have a good day, alright, Hiro?"

"Same to you, Jackie."

Hiro turned the corner and strolled outside past the doors, the sky a crisp, autumnal blue.


End file.
